So while the 360's sales fell by more than two-thirds, week on week, PS3 purchases increased by a massive 220.8 per cent.

The real winner in the Japanese console arena, however, was Nintendo's DS, which was purchased by 78,884 punters. The PSP was second in the chart, having notched up sales of 58,964 units - only 3000 more than the third-placed PS3.

Yesterday, figures covering the same week in the US showed PS3s sales jump to around 100,000 units on the back of a $100 reduction in the price of the 80GB model and the introduction of the 40GB version of the console.